Abstract
This study was promoted by the recent efforts using larger benthic foraminiferal (LBF) shells geochemistry for the monitoring of heavy metals (HMs) pollution in the marine environment. The shell itself acts as a recorder of the ambient water chemistry in low to extreme HMs-polluted environments, allowing the monitoring of recent-past pollution events. This concept, known as sclerochronology, requires the addition of new parts (i.e., new shell) even in extreme pollution events. We evaluated the physiological resilience of three LBF species with different shell types and symbionts to enriched concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Pb at levels several folds higher than the ecological criteria maximum concentration (CMC) (165–166, 33–43, 1001–1206 µg L−1, respectively), which is derived from aquatic organisms’ toxicity tests. The physiological response of the holobiont was expressed by growth rates quantified by the addition of new chambers (new shell parts), and by the chlorophyll a of the algal symbionts. The growth rate decrease varied between 0% and 30% compared to the unamended control for all HMs tested, whereas the algal symbionts exhibited a general non-fatal but significant response to Pb and Cu. Our results highlight that shell growth inhibition of LBF is predicted in extreme concentrations of 57 × CMC of Cu and 523 × CMC of Cd, providing a proof of concept for shell geochemistry monitoring, which is currently not used in the regulatory sectors.
Highlights
Monitoring of heavy metals (HMs) in the marine environment is traditionally done by combining analyses of water, sediments, and tissues of the local biota
The and 7.9 (A. lessonii), and 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, and 7.9 (S. orbiculus), for the control, Cd, Cu, and Pb treatments lowest pH values measured during the experiments were 7.8, 7.9, 7.9, 7.6 (A. lobifera), 8.0, 7.8, 8.0, and
The salinity was stable in all treatments and replicates of A. lessonii, ranging between 38 and results in this study show that the Pb-treated A. lobifera specimens had similar growth rates to the
Summary
Monitoring of heavy metals (HMs) in the marine environment is traditionally done by combining analyses of water, sediments, and tissues of the local biota. These compartments, especially the water-phase components (dissolved and particulate), provide a snapshot of the specific time of sampling and require long-term recording [1,2]. The analysis of pollutants in the sediment substrate indicates time-averaged concentrations that reflect sedimentary processes and sediment properties rather than short- to medium-term pollution load [1]. The analysis of tissues has the advantage of recording the presence of biologically available metals, as well as their effect and possible toxicity on the organisms [3]. Different organisms exposed to the same conditions differ in the accumulation of various metal concentrations with variation
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